Priority Setting

These days, few people seriously expect that unlimited resources can be made available to meet all of the health care demands of the population. Whereas in the post-War years the expansion of preventative and curative medicine was largely clinician-led, the last two decades have seen the emergence of alternative bases for setting priorities, including effectiveness, efficiency and the use of public preferences. This volume analyzes the conflicting and sometimes confusing issues involved. It provides detailed evaluation of attempts to set priorities internationally, essential background on the context of priority-setting, a critique of different methods and a practical, multidisciplinary approach to setting priorities.